


The Strange Ways of Adult Fun Time

by deervsheadlights



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Awkwardness, Domestic, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Kid Fic, The Birds and the Bees: REMIXED!, i'm sorry morgan, she doesn't know what she's looking at though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23994079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deervsheadlights/pseuds/deervsheadlights
Summary: Morgan was beginning to understand that saying about curiosity killing the cat.It mostly made her feel bad for the cat.Also, who knew her parents could be this flustered?
Relationships: Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 14
Kudos: 73





	The Strange Ways of Adult Fun Time

**Author's Note:**

> i think this is just me coping with the many instances during my childhood in which i had to listen to my mom getting her back blown out through the walls.
> 
> but honestly, i had a good amount of fun writing this. enjoy reading!

Morgan didn't realize she was making a mistake until it was too late. 

She did that often. It was why Uncle Happy called her a troublemaker and Uncle Rhodey called her a little hoo-leegan, whatever that was. Sometimes, when she did something that made her parents scold her for being reckless–like climbing a tree behind the house, and how could they fault her for that when there were so many? So what if she'd sprained her ankle and cried, she was fine _now–_ then it would be less fun. 

Usually though, exploring new things and investigating in and around the house was fun. She'd even gotten real detective equipment for her last birthday and just a week or so ago, she had investigated the curious case of which of their llamas had pooped outside the front door. (She had found Gerard to be the offender. Mommy had been very angry and Morgan had immediately regretted snitching on him. They were friends after all.) 

Anyway, she hadn't done any investigative work for a while now, and this was too good of an opportunity not to make use of it. And it probably wouldn't end with her betraying her favorite llama (don't tell the others she said that) so that was just another bonus. 

She'd heard the noises before. Or at least she thought she had. Similar ones to those that were coming from down the hall now, only she wasn't sure if back then she'd imagined or dreamed them. When she was still small, she'd been a lot more scared of things she didn't know, but now she was older and braver. Auntie Nat said she'd outgrow her soon, which Morgan wasn't sure about–it would at least take another year or two in her opinion. Then again, Auntie Nat was smart, so she could be right. 

Back then, she had been too afraid to go check out their source because the sounds _were_ a little strange. In her room she hadn't been able to hear them, but once she entered the hallway to go to the bathroom, she couldn't ignore them. It sounded like someone was in pain and if that was the case, it would be wrong not to help, right? Right. 

Determined, Morgan set off down the unlit corridor. The darkness was a little eerie, with the moonlight shifting through the sheer curtains on the windows and all, but she wasn't scared. Her heart was only beating fast because...solving mysteries was exciting. It was a puzzle, a little like equations were, and you just had to put the pieces together in the right order to get a correct answer. Of course this was a little different, because Morgan still didn't know what the puzzle pieces she was dealing with were, but she'd figure it out soon enough. 

Her feet carried her toward the source soundlessly, sneaking like a spy (Auntie Nat taught her a lot of useful things), light on the balls of her bare feet as if she were dancing over the carpet. The source, she discovered with a gasp, was in fact her parents' bedroom. Oh, no. That couldn't be right. Nobody could hurt them–Daddy was a superhero and even Mommy had a suit, even though she could _kick ass_ even without it. Morgan had learned that phrase from Uncle Sam and she didn't know why she was always being reprimanded for using it when it sounded _so_ cool.

But–she needed to focus. There was something wrong. If someone had tried to hurt her parents, they surely wouldn't have gotten far. This didn't make any sense. Morgan frowned at the door in thought. What would be the right course of action to take here? 

Suddenly, what emanated from the other side of the door she was staring holes into wasn't only quiet grunts and gasps. There were voices–ones she knew better than any other.

"Pep– Pepper, darling, beautiful," Daddy said, words tapering off into another strange noise that Morgan only knew in combination with hurt but– but Daddy didn't _sound_ hurt, exactly. And why would her parents cause each other pain, anyway? They loved another very much (almost as much as Morgan did) and although the way they showed that love was gross sometimes, it was proof enough they wouldn't hurt the other. Quite the opposite–they did everything to protect the family, even their extended one. 

“ _Oh,"_ Daddy said, again, as if he was in the workshop and had just experienced a sudden touch of genius that he was _very_ passionate about. "Mh, tell me again why we don't do this more often? We should, we should–it should happen. More often. Unless you don't enjoy–" 

"Oh, no, I am definitely enjoying myself, don't you worry," Mommy responded with what sounded like a smile in her voice. "You were just being coy about telling me you wanted it again, remember? Like– _mh–_ having your daughter would have me forget how to wear a strap-on?" 

A what? And how did that relate to Morgan, anyway? She made an effort not shift on her feet where she stood, uncomfortable all the sudden. Where before she'd been concerned, she was now feeling weird. This was weird. They were almost having a normal conversation, so there couldn't be any imminent danger. Maybe she should just go sleep again. Maybe that would be best. Going to sleep.

Was what Morgan would've done if she wasn't so very _curious._ (She would've lain awake all night if she'd tried to sleep, anyway.) Clearly, if her parents were up at night, this was something forbidden and any good detective had to take a look behind the scenes to find important clues. Dig up evidence. There was no way around it. 

Making a decision, she stepped forward and flung the door open–with a little more force than anticipated, because it crashed against the wall with a bang and had _both_ people in the room shriek in shock. Oops. 

Well, at least she was being paid attention to. Mommy, in fact, was turned awkwardly and looking over her shoulder to stare at Morgan with wide eyes.

Not that Morgan was really focused on that at the moment, because she was preoccupied thinking about how her mother was kneeling on the bed butt-naked, which was funny because her butt was naked, too. Her skin was also very pale, which stood out because Daddy’s legs up around her small waist were neither of those things. And what was _that_ about?

Why was Morgan being told not to sneak her Nintendo into bed with her because ‘bed was for sleeping’ when they were doing weird and sweaty acrobatics (ew) in their own? That wasn’t fair.

Morgan scowled at them, crossing her arms over her chest. Mommy scrambled for the spare blanket on the other half of the bed just as the pretty, rosy color dusting her cheeks turned into a crimson red that she usually only wore on really cold winter days.

She couldn't see Daddy's face, but it was a little strange how long it took for him to speak. When he did, his voice was hoarse like he was sick, probably from all the grunting and wheezing he had done. That would be hard on your throat.

"Honey, what is going–" Mommy quickly reached over with one hand to muffle the rest of his words. Like Morgan's friends did when she was about to spill a secret she wasn't supposed to tell.

Morgan was beginning to understand that saying about curiosity killing the cat. It still made her feel bad for the cat, though. 

This discovery hadn’t put an end to the curiosity, even though it might’ve been smart to leave. Morgan wasn’t sure. Daddy was also smart, but he didn’t _always_ do smart things. If he could get away with that, surely she could too? Besides, she hadn’t yet gotten to the bottom of this, and as odd as it was, giving up wouldn’t do. Nobody in their family did things by halves.

Mommy still hadn’t moved, like she expected Morgan to say something before she would even budge an inch. Daddy sort of seemed like he couldn’t move–the bed was a little off-center from the door, so while Morgan didn’t spot all of him, they were crammed pretty close together against the headboard and Daddy was, by all accounts, trapped. His legs had fallen down onto the mattress next to Mommy’s knees, feet poking out from the blanket she’d thrown over them. He still made no move to escape, which made it all even stranger. Maybe that was supposed to be part of this whole thing. 

When nobody said anything, Morgan’s stance lost a little bit of confidence. Were they going to be mad? Would this be one of those things were they had to sit down at the kitchen table together and have a Talk? Like when she punched Rodrick because he’d said really mean things about Marcy and the way her skin looked even though she couldn’t help it because it was a condition and Morgan actually thought it looked pretty– 

Mommy cleared her throat, looking concerned when Morgan met her gaze. “Sweetie, why don’t you go downstairs really quick?” She paused, eyes briefly flitting over to Daddy’s face. “We’ll–be right down, okay? Just a minute.”

Her voice was calm and reassuring, but Morgan still felt a little queasy. Maybe she would get a talking-to now, that wouldn’t be fun. It had to be one of the serious ones because they wouldn’t get out of bed in the middle of the night (even though they hadn’t been sleeping) if it wasn’t important.

Sighing, Morgan surrendered to her fate and nodded. She turned, leaving the room and switching on the lights in the hallway before trudging down the stairs, making sure to produce extra loud stomps. Once she arrived in the kitchen, she even thought to put out glasses of water for her parents so they’d not be too mad. As sweaty as they’d looked, they were probably exhausted and needed it. 

A few boring minutes later, a pair of footsteps approached and Mommy came into view in the doorframe a moment later. She was wearing a beige robe now, and her hair was no longer a wild mess but pulled into a ponytail high on her head. When she came to look at Morgan, she smiled softly, and then even brighter when she saw the water placed on the spots at the table where they’d usually sit. Ha! That had been the right move at least.

“That was a little strange, huh?” she said, crouching down next to the chair Morgan was sitting on, looking up at her. Morgan shrugged, unsure of what to say. It felt more than a little strange but she didn’t really know how to put it in words and didn’t really want to.

Then, though, she thought of something else. “What is Daddy doing?”

Mommy paused, gaze wandering off to the side for a moment. Morgan narrowed her eyes. Had her first theory been true after all? “He isn’t… hurt, right?” 

Now, her mother was quick to shake her head, taking Morgan’s hand and squeezing it. “No, he’s fine. He just needs a moment to–calm down, and then he’ll be here in no time.”

She stood up again, pointing at the untouched glass of water in front of Morgan. “Do you want something with your water?” Her smile was earnest, and Morgan dared to return it, tentatively. "Hot chocolate? Pleaseee?”

Mommy nodded, shooting her a wink before she turned around to gather the ingredients from the kitchen. Hot chocolate was delicious. She _loved_ hot chocolate. If her request was being granted, that was a good thing, or not? You don’t get rewarded for doing something bad. Maybe Mommy felt bad for keeping her up even though she should be sleeping. 

While her mother prepared the beverage, Morgan looked on, swinging her legs back and forth where she sat on the chair. It was pitch-black outside, and the warm lighting inside made their home feel very cozy. After a while, the comfortable silence was broken by the telltale creak of stairs, and Morgan intently watched the doorway until Daddy appeared in it. He was flushed and his hair was way messier than his regular bedhead, but Morgan let it slide–on account of him wearing _the_ sweater. (Morgan would cuddle him in it more often solely because it was so soft.) 

His lips formed a warm smile the moment he laid eyes on her. Okay, so they _weren’t_ mad. What was this for, then?

Having filled the last of three mugs with chocolatey goodness, Mommy turned around to acknowledge his presence. They exchanged a wordless glance, communicating silently. It was annoying and always made her feel left out. 

Daddy pulled out a chair for himself and plopped down, regretting it if the face he made was anything to go by. Morgan raised an eyebrow at him; one that climbed even higher up on her forehead when Mommy sat a cup down in front of him and squeezed his nape, looking inexplicably smug. Continuing their silent exchange, Daddy reacted by rolling his eyes.

There was clearly something she didn’t get but it was funny to witness regardless. Morgan smirked, which had the desired effect of her father regarding her with a wounded look of indignation. “Whose side are you on here, miss?”

Morgan shrugged. “I didn’t know there were sides,” she said airily, lying. It wasn’t a bad kind of lie. She grasped her mug with both hands and blew a gust of air at the steaming liquid inside, causing the surface to ripple. Although she wasn’t looking, she could see her parents mouthing things at each other, gesturing vaguely in a way they thought she wouldn't notice. 

"So, um, we don't have to talk about this at all, ever, in fact, but if there's questions you have–" Daddy shrugged, looking at Mommy in the chair by his side who urged him to go on. "We'll answer them. Whenever. But you know that already. Hm, pumpkin?" 

Morgan considered this for a moment. Yeah, she did know that. She was often reminded that asking questions was good. Did she really _want_ to? It would be weird, and obviously awkward what with how her parents were being all twitchy and watching her reaction like hawks right now–but then she would also get to close this case of _Weird Noises The House Makes At 11 P.M._ once and for all. Could be worth it. 

"I don't know if I, um–it was weird, but you guys do a lot of weird things, so," she took a sip from the hot chocolate, distracted by the delicious taste for a moment and not really taking note of Daddy's huffed laughter. "I guess… Will you do it again? It's really loud, in the hallway."

She took another gulp, feeling strangely out of place while her parents negotiated over who would answer. "Probably," Mommy said, sounding fond and somehow also amused. "But we'll be sure you won't notice next time." 

That wasn't really as reassuring as Morgan had hoped. She probably wasn't going to get an outright answer if she didn't ask directly. Sighing in defeat, she asked, "Okay, but what, I mean, what is _it?"_

"Well, people do it when–" 

"It's a thing adults decide to–" 

Both of her parents started speaking simultaneously and then broke off, all parties a little stunned the other had tried to beat them to it. Morgan grinned, watching. Finally, Daddy was urged to take the lead, which he didn't protest–although he now looked much less confident than before. 

"See, it's a thing people do when they love each other, or–I mean, they can also do it for fun. Like, adult fun time. Fun times, but _only_ for adults." He paused, audibly thinking. Mommy was looking at him with one side of her mouth pulled up into a smirk, but it was soft. "And there's lots of different ways to have a fun time, but you have to find out what the other person likes first. We've talked about how it's important to always know how or if other people want to be touched in any way, right? Well, this is similar. Me and your mom have been together long enough to know what we like, so that's what we do. And when a lot of love _and_ fun is involved, it's–very special in a way."

Daddy leaned back and exhaled a heavy breath, like that speech alone had drained him of all his energy. He looked over at Mommy, eyebrows pulled up as if to ask how he had done, and she moved closer to rub his shoulder. 

Morgan lifted her mug to her lips again to drink and give herself some time to think about what had been said. She didn't really understand how that could've been fun; climbing trees was fun, playing with the llamas was fun, riding high up on Uncle Thor's shoulders was fun. Whatever she had caught a glimpse of definitely didn't belong in the same category.

But it was an adult thing and a lot of adult things didn't have any rhyme or reason to them. Maybe this was just another one. 

A little surprised, Morgan realized she'd already finished her hot chocolate. Reluctantly, she set the cup back down, meeting her parents' gazes. They seemed a little nervous about her answer, almost the same way Morgan was nervous about going to the dentist. It was another strange occurrence, because they didn't wear that look often and _when_ they did, it was all the more intense. 

And so, to make them feel better about it, she said, "Okay." 

Daddy exhaled a quiet chuckle that sounded relieved, and Mommy smiled and gave the rest of her own hot chocolate to Morgan because she was the best. (Okay, both of them were. Most of the time.) 

When she suggested they all go back to sleep though, Morgan protested vocally. She picked up the last partially melted mini-marshmallow from the bottom of the mug and jumped off her chair. 

"I can't sleep now," she stated matter-of-factly, meeting Mommy's sceptical gaze with her own.

"And what's the alternative?" Daddy threw in, realizing a moment too late that he'd now given her the perfect opening. 

She grinned, bright and wide. 

"Atlantis: The Lost Empire?" 

**Author's Note:**

> post credit scene: morgan asks uncle rhodey what a strap-on is during his next visit. said uncle immediately sprays coffee everywhere. one entire kitchen wall is now a jackson pollock painting.


End file.
